Trolls Target Grieving Family Of Teen Who Hanged Herself After Being Cyber-Bullied

Trolls have hijacked a tribute page created for a teenager found hanged at her home after suffering months of bullying online on a notorious website.

Hannah Smith, 14, was taunted on Ask.fm over her looks and the death of an uncle. She had also been urged to 'drink bleach' and 'go get cancer' by the anonymous tormentors, friends said.

But now trolls have taken to Facebook to sabotage genuine attempts to celebrate her life and have been revelling in her tragic death.

Under the header R.I.P. Hannah Smith, American Toby Swaggins Tarrant said: "Its (sic) her own fault for taking her own life. its (sic) cowardice. and instead of opening our eyes to the dead we should open our ears to the living."

After loved-ones confronted him and called him 'sick' he said: "Oh for f**** sake bullying on the internet is soo f****** easy to avoid just turn off your f****** computer!"

Under a picture of the teenager with her friends, one sick troll wrote: "good b**** killed herself" and another said: "You f****** c***"

Hannah hanged herself in her bedroom last week after bullying trolls on Ask.fm bombarded her with appalling abuse and suggested she kill herself.

She was described as 'ugly' and told to 'go die' by anonymous users of the question-and-answer site.

Now Ask.fm is facing a backlash following the adjournment of the inquest into Hannah's death at home in Lutterworth, Leicestershire, last Friday.

Hannah's dad, Dave Smith, is urging the authorities to close down the site, and those like it, after he discovered the cruel taunts aimed at his daughter. "How many more teenagers will kill themselves because of online abuse before something is done?" he said.

"These sick people are just able to go online and hide behind a mask of anonymity while they abuse vulnerable teenagers.

"We've lost Hannah in the most horrendous way imaginable. It's time something was done so that no other family has to go through this."

Hannah was found hanged in her bedroom by her sister Jo, 16. Mr Smith later found a note written by Hannah which read: "I wonder if it's ever going to get better?"

Calls are growing for the site, based in Latvia, to be banned. Hannah's father suggested its creators should be charged with manslaughter.

Hannah's death, the fourth connected to the site, comes amid controversy over trolling on Twitter which has seen high-profile women receive rape and bomb threats.

The day before she died, Hannah posted a moving picture message on Facebook reading: "You think you want to die but in reality you just want to be saved."

One troll suggested her uncle had 'deserved' to die of cancer.

Responding to a message which called her 'ugly', she wrote: "Yes i may be ugly but you obviously have an ugly personality to tell people to 'go die'!"

In response to a troll who suggested she should kill herself, Hannah replied: "Wow, well for your information I've tried committing suicide before, and yes, I know I'm ugly no need to tell me."

At one point Hannah urged her tormentors to stop hiding behind their anonymity, posting: "If you want to give me hate then either inbox me, say it to my face or come off anon."

Ask.fm users must register an email address, name and date of birth but those posting messages can remain anonymous.

An Ask.fm spokesman said it could not respond 'at this moment' because it was 'investigating the specifics of the tragic incident'.